Everything's Changing
by omggcece
Summary: Apart from the red lipstick, dark eyeliner, and black highlights she looked adorable- too Freddie, anyway.:: Future Seddie! Rated T just in case.
1. Prologue

_Everyone's Changing _

_Prologue _

---

Freddie Benson pushed through the mob of dancing, sweaty goths. He sighed of relief when he finally got to the front, loosening up his tie.

He remembers the last time he was in this kind of environment - it was his freshman year of college and Sam had asked him to come; he had to admit it - this kind of place was not meant for people like him. Due to this, Sam and him drifted, and drifted until he just _had_ to break up with her.

He was brought out of his trip down memory lane when he felt someone squeeze his butt. Freddie shrieked and quickly got in to his fighting stance, ready to take on whoever had violated his body.

"Freddie, it's just me!" Julie laughed. She flipped her jet black hair over her shoulder, handing Freddie his soda. "This really isn't your scene, is it? We can leave if you want..."

"No!" Julie raised her eyebrow at how quickly he responded but didn't mention it.

Freddie looked ahead as though he was hypnotized, watching the dirty blond's every move. His breath caught in his throat when she made her way over to him.

The blond dropped to the floor - now she was eye level with him. The backup singers continued singing and the band kept on playing as she stopped singing and put her mic on the stage. There was a small noise as the mic connected with the stage, but it was barely heard over the excited screams.

"Freddie?" Sam questioned. Her eyes were wide and the way she was leaning her head was to the side; apart from the red lipstick, dark eyeliner, and black highlights she looked adorable - to Freddie, anyway.

"Sam. You've...changed," Freddie replied softly. Her lips formed a thin line.

"Why are you here?" Sam spat. Before Freddie could say anything else, he was interrupted by Julie's excited squeal.

"Oh my gosh, Freddie, you know Sam Puckett?" Julie said, pushing her glasses further up her nose. She snorted enthusiastically and grabbed on to Freddie's bicep.

Sam narrowed her eyes and glared at the couple. "Never mind," she muttered. The blond grabbed her mic and continued singing.

"That was weird..." Julie trailed off.

"Whatever. Let's go back to the hotel," Freddie said darkly, leading Julie through the crowd of excited teens and young adults again.

---

**A/N: Okay, okay, I KNOW I said I was going to start a Criffin story, a HM one, AND one set on a boat in the mid-1700s, but story ideas come to me out of nowhere. Like, when I write something I start up my computer, click on WordPad and just start typing the first thing that comes to mind and it unravels itself.**

**Hopefully I'll get around to my other ideas soon, but who knows! By then I'll probably have a million new ones.:P**

**Review, please? If you do, I'll get a African elephant! ...Yeah, that was random, I know.;)**


	2. background check

**I.**

Samantha Puckett did not cry.

She didn't cry when she broke her arm in the seventh grade. She didn't cry when her and Carly had their first fight. She didn't cry in the fifth grade when her first boyfriend dumped her, she didn't cry when Jonah cheated on her, and she didn't cry when the Shane stuff happened, and she only shed one tear when Melanie left for boarding school leaving her alone with her crazy mother.

But for some strange, twisted reason, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at the text message on her phone. It was just _Freddie_. She knew it wouldn't work out - she'd been waiting for it! But she still felt shocked.

Her heart is still beating. Funny how they still work even when they're breaking. Her and Freddie hadn't talked since they'd had that big fight, and that had happened almost six months ago.

Now, that simple message - _We need to talk, Sam_ - told her exactly what was going to happen to her - to _them_.

She put down her cell phone and shoved it back in her jeans pocket. No matter what, she was going to put "The Talk" on hold for as long as she could.

"Sam, are you crying?" Sam looked up from the dirty counter-top and spinned around in the bar stool. She mentally groaned when she noticed who it was.

"What do you want?" Sam grunted, wiping away her tears. Melanie put down her suitcase and made her way over to the blond, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I was thinking about coming home for the summer to check on mom," Melanie started. She wrinkled her nose at the trashed kitchen. "I didn't know you decided not to go too college."

"I joined a rock band. I'm lead singer," Sam said in a whisper. Melanie nodded and put her purse on the counter. "We're going places, Mel."

"What happened to the kitchen?" Sam raised an eyebrow at her sister and Melanie's mouth formed a small 'O'.

"Mom got a new boyfriend?" The twin sighed, hopping on to a bar stool next to Sam's.

"What do you think?" Melanie rolled her eyes as a uncomfortable silence washed over the two girls.

"Sam...why were you crying when I first came in?" Sam cringed, backing away from Melanie's hand.

"My boyfriend broke up with me, alright?" Melanie's eyes widened in realization and she gulped.

"Who needs a boyfriend?" Melanie laughed, trying to comfort her sister. Sam just shook her head in response and hopped off her stool. "I've got places to be, sis. Take care of Mom while I'm gone."

Sam headed to the door, slipping on her black flip flops that were conveniently placed right next to it. Melanie flinched at Sam's loud close of the door.

_"YOU SUCK!"_ Melanie sighed and buried her head in her hands. _Why do I even bother coming home anymore?_ Melanie thought as she headed to see what her mom was yelling about now.

---

Sam paused as the bus stopped at its first stop. Freddie didn't say to meet him here - anywhere, but she'd automatically assumed he would dump her here.

She shrugged, deciding to take a chance and walked off the bus. Just as she had excepted, Freddie was seated at the booth in the back of the cafe - their unofficial table - and was pretending to be doing something on his laptop but Sam could tell he wasn't really doing anything and it was just there.

His expression seemed to get even more worried - if that was possible - when he spotted the short blond coming towards him.

Sam sat down across from the brunette, silently waiting to hear those two words -_ "It's over."_

"Sam...it, it's..." Freddie stuttered, not looking at Sam's bored face. "It's not you, it's me."

_The oldest one in the book_, Sam thought, taking a roll from the basket. "Get on with it, Benson."

"I-you-me-I...it was good while it lasted, but, uh, we're over. I really hope we can be friends, though." Freddie gave an awkward smile, finally looking her in the face.

He immediately looked downwards at the sight of a tear falling from the girl's eyes. "Well, I knew it was happening," Sam said. Her voice was cracked.

A waitress came over to the two. "What will you be having, today?"

Sam looked down, hoping the waitress couldn't see her tears. "An ice coffee, please - to go."

The waitress picked up on what had happened and she quickly scurried away from the two.

Freddie gave another sad smile and closed his laptop, stuffing it in his messenger bag and leaving the booth.

**II.**

"'Morning, Sam." Sam looked up from her songwriting book, setting down her pen in the middle of it so she could continue writing her song.

"Glad to see you're awake, Eric," Sam started, "Now get out of my bedroom."

Eric gaped. "But-but, Sam! We just made love, and you're just-just kicking me out?"

"Eh, buddy. You knew going into it would be a one-night kinda of thing," Sam replied, pointing her pen at him. "I'm focused on the band, dude. And you should be too."

He grunted in frustration and got out of the bed, slipping on his boxers. "You're cruel, Puckett."

"I'm aware of that," Sam said with a wicked grin, once again opening her song book.

Eric finished dressing and grabbed his jacket, keys and left with a loud slam of the door.

Sam's phone started to ring and she grabbed it, her songwriting time once again being interrupted. "What's up?"

_"The sky,"_ Carly giggled. _"I'm in town for Christmas. You mind if I stay at your place?"_

"Sure," Sam answered, toying with a strand of blond hair. "But I'm leaving for New York on the 23rd so you've gotta find somewhere else to stay for the rest of your vacation."

_"New York? I heard nothing of any kind about you going to New York!"_ Carly shouted. Sam pulled the phone away from her ear. _"What do you have to do in New York? Wait! Oh my God, are you going to plain 'ol New York or New York City? This is so exciting!"_

Sam winced, bringing the phone back towards her ear. "New York City, cupcake. This lady named Veena saw us performing and said she thinks she can get us signed."

"Oh my gosh, Sam!" Carly said dreamily, (much to Sam's relief) instead of screaming. "I'm so happy for you guys. Everyone's doing all this important stuff; Spencer just got married, you're going to become some big singing star, Freddie-"

Carly froze, remembering how senseitive Sam still was about the break-up. "I'm almost there. See you soon, Sam."

Sam nodded, forgetting Carly couldn't see her. "Alright." Sam clicked off, delicately placing her phone on her bedside.

---

"This is amazing," June said, breaking the silence. Sam nodded, wordlessly, along with the rest of the band.

"That's what a lot of people say," the taxi driver laughed, patting his round belly.

June opened her door and Sam slid out, followed by Eric and Gena. "Eric, go get our bags." Gena ordered, elbowing Eric in the side.

"Aw, why do I always carry everything!" Eric muttered, heading to the back of the taxi.

"Who's paying for this?" Was the first four words Sam said since they had entered New York.

"Veena, for now," June answered easily as Eric struggled with all of the bags, "But if we bomb the audition we're going back to Seattle faster than you can say say."

Gena raised an eyebrow in confusion. "That doesn't really make any sense, Jay."

"That's the whole point!" June cackled as Eric came over to the girls.

"I need some coffee," Sam yawned, heading towards the glass doors leading in to the hotel, "Or else we're gonna bomb this."

June and Gena ran after the blond excitedly, Eric struggling to keep up with the eager young adults.

---

"Alright, guys," Veena started as she led them up the long, winding staircase, "Mark is in an good mood, but still be on the ball!"

The band nodded, Sam taking another sip of her coffee. "Hey, Veena, would you call this Mark guy, I dunno...good-looking?"

"Sam!" Eric whispered violently, tugging on her ponytail.

"Eee-OW!" Sam shouted, spilling some of her coffee on her shirt. "Shit!"

"Sam, shut up!" Gena warned. "If Veena hears you talking like that she's not gonna give us this deal. Look at her! She's pure snob," Gena finished with a snort.

The blond simply rolled her eyes, looking on in disappointment at her ruined top.

---

"Mark, I've got June Sterling and the Skulls here with me! Can we come in?" Veena said in a sing-song voice, lightly knocking on his office door.

"June Sterling and the Skul-June, what is she talking about?!" Sam whispered to the brunette, elbowing her in the side.

"Don't worry 'bout it, guys," June said in response, noticing Gena and Eric's worried faces along with Sam's angry one.

"But I thought I was the lead singer?" Sam questioned. Veena tapped her foot patiently, waiting for Mark to let them in.

"You're too...aggressive. We want someone more, I don't know, sweet to sell the band," Veena trailed off, swaying from side to side.

Gena bit down on her bottom lip. "But it's a bloody rock band! We're not supposed to be sweet. What are you talking about?"

Eric decided to stay out of the debate, taking a step back from the group of women. "I was going to talk to you about that. Rock band's are so...out-dated these days. How about we take a more, ah, Dingo star route?"

Sam stared at Veena, open-mouthed. Gena knew that look. She quickly grabbed the girl and led her away from the two.

"Sam, I know this is - how do you say it, jank? Yeah, jank. But we don't have any money right now; and don't start about your job at that gas station. It's a wonder you can still afford to pay rent. I say, we stay for a couple of months, get on our feet and then split?"

Sam thought over this idea in her head for a few minutes before slowly nodding. Gena gave a slight, nervous smile before walking over with Sam close on her heels to Veena and June.

"We've thought it over and we guess we can agree to that," the blond choked out, her mouth starting to feel like cotton.

June squealed and Veena took her into a hug. "We're gonna make you a pop star, baby!"

---

Samantha Puckett liked to party. That, right there was a fact. Another fact that was when Samantha Puckett was mad, most likely she would beating up the punching bag Melanie had bought her as a belated gift for her 19th birthday.

But no, Sam was forced by her stupid band mates to go clubbing and check out the hot spots in New York City. Most of the clubs weren't very full, considering it was Christmas Eve for God's sakes!

The blond's gaze carried over to the bar. The bartender was sliding Gena a drink and she payed the man, gulping down a large amount of the alcohol. Her face wrinkled in disgust before she spit the drink out all over the bartender.

He laughed and got out a napkin, wiping his face clean. _He seems familiar_, Sam thought, pursing her lips in thought. She shaked her head free of the idea and her mind once again wandered to the word alcohol.

_You're Sam freakin' Puckett!_ An annoyed voice shouted in the back of her head. Sam nodded, getting up from the rather lumpy couch and making her way over to the bar. She hopped on to a stool next to Gena.

Gena opened her mouth to protest, but Sam simply shoved one of the fake fruits from the bowl in her mouth. Gena bit into it, spitting it out a second later.

"That wasn't funny," Gena pouted, heading back out over to the dance floor.

"Hey, man," Sam started. She tried to think of some bar talk. "Gimme a double."

"A double of what?" the bartender sighed, turning around to face her. "Sam?"

Sam's jaw dropped. "How-how do you know my name?" Sam questioned, getting ready to make a run for it.

"You don't recognize me?" He croaked.

"No-we-you-uh, kind of. Who are you?" Sam said in a serious tone, her heel-clad foot touching the floor.

"Your father."

---

Sam ran her fingers through the soft sand, shifting uncomfortably in it. "Mom always said you were dead," Sam said quietly, keeping her eyes locked on her converse.

Charlie Puckett nodded. "A few years later, when I was about 22, I met Elaine. We dated for a few years; me, I was getting back on my feet, trying to find a job. Elaine had just graduated and wanted to finish graduate school before she got in to anything serious with me.

"Once she finished my pay was pretty good and I had scored a small apartment, finally leaving my folks' house. They were happy about that. Elaine moved in and we got married about two years later...then we had Juliet."

"Can I meet her?" Sam asked after a moment's silence. Charlie finally looked Sam in the face and two pairs of electric blue eyes met.

"Juliet should be coming home from school any minute now," Charlie started, "Besides...shouldn't you be at school, too?"

"'Cided not too go," Sam managed to say. Charlie's eyes fell to the ground again. He was trying to hide his disappointment but it was fairly obvious.

"Did Mel-"

"Yeah, she went. When we were 11 she went away to some fancy boarding school...you wanna see a picture?" Sam said fastly, already flipping open her cell phone and searching for one.

"Sure?" Charlie croaked, scooting over to Sam's side. Sam shoved it into his waiting hands.

His eyes flickered over the picture for a few seconds before he shot Sam a worried look. "Is that your Mom jumping up and down on the couch wearing a lamp shade in the background?"

Sam bit down on her bottom lip. "She's always been a little crazy."

Charlie sighed and handed Sam back her cell phone, leaning back in the sand and getting comfortable. Sam joined her father, looking up at the burning sun.

**III.**

Sam hurried into the candy shop, eager to get away from June. She sighed, staring hungrily at the rows and rows of candies.

"What will it be today, Sammy?" Deeandra O'Leary asked from behind the counter, shooting a lazy grin at Sam as she grabbed a bag of chocolate coins.

"Meet and greet with the fans," the blond answered quickly, taking a pack of Skittles. "I don't even know why we go anymore. All anyone cares about is June - I mean, do you ever hear anyone yelling, _Look! It's Sam Puckett!_ The nitwits at the record company think if they pay us to death we'll shut up."

"And that's wrong?" Deeandra said awkwardly, clicking her tongue.

"Of course!" Sam yelled, turning around to face the brunette. She shrunk back. Sam's glare dropped and she grabbed a Snickers bar before walking over to the check-out counter.

"No one tells Sam Puckett what to do," Sam muttered into her hand as Deeandra checked out the candy.

"You're gonna be sick," Deeandra laughed, putting the candy in a bag.

"Yeah, yeah!" Sam slid the money over the counter, grabbing her bag. "Mind if I stay here for an hour or two?"

Deeandra nodded, picking up her_ People_ magazine from the ground and continuing to read.

---

_"Where are you?"_ Sam yawned, popping another chocolate coin into her mouth. "Where do ya think?"

Even though Sam couldn't see, she could hear - she could feel Gena rolling her eyes and walking away from June and her oh, so adoring fans. _"I was thinkin' of goin' solo once the second album drops and we get our checks. Eric hasn't said anything but you know Eric - all he wants to do is make a lot of money. What do ya say?"_

Sam swallowed a number of skittles. "I thwank we shwad thaw our sheprate whys."

Gena raised her eyebrow. _"Sorry, can't hear ya hon. These fans are insane!"_

"I said," Sam cleared her throat, "we should go our separate ways." She rolled a skittle that had escaped her mouth in the fist of her sweaty hand, nervously waiting for Gena's reply.

_"Okay then,"_ Gena laughed (Sam could hear the bitterness in her voice - more than once her mother had laughed just like that, during one of her more sane moments). _"I understand, Sam."_

Before Sam can say anything else Gena hangs up and she has that familiar slightly empty feeling all over again.

**IV.**

Sam hurried to push away the naked body next to her, searching for her nightgown.

She whispered a small prayer, desperately hoping it wasn't her as she gave up her search for her gown and slipped on her dark red robe. Melanie had said she would be coming to visit soon, but she didn't know it would be this soon. It was flippin' one in the morning!

"I'll be right back and we can finish where we left off," Sam said breathlessly, winking to (what was his name, Francis?) and hurrying downstairs.

Her first album had did well, better than June's third and Gena's first, something she was extremely proud about. She hadn't heard from Gena since the band's party for their second - and last - album. Apparently, Eric was claimed to be working at some McDonald's in Seattle and June was looking into a modeling career. Gena was intense about her music career, almost as much as Sam, according to some gossip show.

With the little money she had made from her first album Sam had purchased a townhouse in Syracuse, New York - not to little, not to big. And no matter what Carly said, she was simply too busy to get another boyfriend; she was over Freddie, dang it!

With one more prayer, she opened the front door. And, just her luck, there was her mother in all her glory.

"Hey, mom," Sam said, swaying from side to side. Her mom looked onwards into her daughter's living room and gasped.

There were beer bottles, soda cans, empty pizza boxes and just plain trash scattered around and Sam's dog, Checkers, was sleeping peacefully on the first stair of the staircase.

"Really Sam, you've gotta take better care of yourself! I mean,..." Sam stifled her groan as her mother went on with her lecture. She really couldn't believe this woman sometime. Ever since Melanie and her had went on that cruise she'd been acting, well...like Melanie. Nobody could figure out what had caused the change, but Melanie was happy about it and Sam had to admit she liked the insane version of her a little more.

"Look, uh," Sam started, interrupting her mother's lecture, "I've gotta take care of something upstairs. You mind?"

Beverly Puckett simply huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot impatiently as Sam hurried up the stairs, avoiding stepping on Checkers.

Beverly scowled. Breathy moans could be heard from Sam's room. Once those were finished, she could hear someone fall on the ground and Sam yelling a string of curse words.

Sam ran down the stairs, leading her Mom into the kitchen. "You want some coffee?"

"Sure," Beverly answered with a knowing smile.

---

"So you wanna play dirty?" Sam half-singed, half-yelled to the crowd, leaning closer. She loved this - the screaming, the adrenaline, the beer she could now drink _legally_, everything.

She nodded to her guitar player and he started his solo. _God, is he hot,_ Sam thought to herself as she prepared to do her usual crowd surfing. She was stopped when she spotted a very familiar brunette giving a unfamiliar girl a peck on the cheek, never taking her eyes off her.

Their eyes met and he leaned forward, as if he was going to kiss someone. She raised a eyebrow in interest and dropped to the ground - this, as she was excepted, drove her fans even crazier. She crawled over to the brunette, hoping this wasn't some dream and he was really here - in the flesh, in person - forget the girl.

There was a small sound as the mic connected with the stage, but it was barely heard over the excited screams.

"Freddie?" Sam questioned. He was wearing a white shirt, tucked into brown pants and his tie was loosened.

"Sam. You've...changed," Freddie replied softly. Her lips formed a thin line. _I've changed?_

"Why are you here?" Sam spat. Before Freddie could say anything else, that _idiot_ came up from behind Freddie.

"Oh my gosh, Freddie, you know Sam Puckett?" She said, pushing her glasses further up her nose. She snorted enthusiastically and grabbed on to Freddie's bicep.

Sam narrowed her eyes and glared at the couple. "Never mind," she muttered. The blond grabbed her mic and continued singing.

---

**A/N: This was kind of like a second prologue, explaining how Sam got there and stuff, since this IS more about Sam than Freddie. The next chapter will be split up like this, too, but it'll be more like a story chapter than another prologue.**

**This is one of my more planned fanfictions, though - I'll think it'll be about nine chapters & a epilogue to finish off. I have the update for The Forgotten finished - now I'm just waiting for my beta to review it. I should be starting my Criffin story soon, too.**

**Now...review, please?:)**


	3. let's make this last forever

**I. **_Freddie_  
Freddie stared at his cell phone a second time before starting to pace around the room again.

He had somehow managed to get Julie out and afterwards they'd headed to a local Internet cafe. Julie had changed into her pajamas and gone to bed as soon as they'd gotten back to the hotel, but Freddie couldn't sleep.

"I'll call her," Freddie said to himself, flipping his phone open. He started to dial her number when a sudden thought crossed through his mind. _What if she has a different number_? _Stop making up excuses!_ Another voice shouted in the back of his mind.

Freddie sighed again, pressing the last few digits to call Sam. He put it to his ear and waited, nervously tapping his fingers on the small table that he sat next too.

_"What is wrong with you?"_ Freddie's face wrinkled in confusion. "What do you mean?"

_"I mean,"_ Sam spat, _"Why are you calling me at 2 o'clock in the morning!"_

Freddie gaped, his eyes flickering over too the clock on the wall behind him. "Oops," he mumbled more to himself than Sam.

_"You know, this little reunion has been nice! Talk to ya later, Fredward."_ Sam said groggily. Her finger hovered over the 'End' button but Freddie quickly got himself together and cried out, "Wait!"

Sam rolled her eyes. _"Ya caught me, Freddison. Now please tell me why you're interrupting my precious beauty sleep."_

"I was wondering..." Freddie stuttered, his left eye twitching, "If you wanted to go get coffee tomorrow or like, whenever you're free. I mean, uh, I'm going back to Seattle on the first of August to start at my new job 'cause I just graduated from college, and-"

_"Okay, okay, we can go get coffee! Good Lord! Let me check my calender; I'll call you back later."_ And with that, Sam ended the conversation.

"She better call back," Freddie said to himself, getting up from his seat.

**II.**

"Freddie, can I talk to you for a minute, baby?" Julie called from the bathroom, applying paste to her tooth brush.

"Sure!" Freddie yelled back. He put the remote back on the dresser next to his bed and took off his shirt, throwing it to the ground. Usually, whenever Jule said,_ Can I talk to you for a minute?_ they ended doing very little talking. Did they have a emotional connection? No. Did they have a physical one? Yes. And really, that was all Freddie needed - for now, anyway.

Julie finished brushing her teeth, walking out of the small bathroom. She laughed at the sight of a shirtless Freddie lying seductively on the foot of their shared bed.

"I was actually hoping to talk," Julie giggled, jumping on the bed next to the brunette.

A furious blush appeared on Freddie's face and he grabbed his shirt off the floor, slipping it back on.

"This-this isn't working out for me!" Julie laughed, clamping a hand on Freddie's shoulder. "I'm breaking up with you!"

Freddie's jaw dropped. "Did you just dump me? Why are you laughing?"

Julie managed to choke out in between laughs, "I'm leaving New York and going back to Seattle early."

"Fine with me," Freddie said darkly, getting up from the queen-sized bed and walking into the bathroom. He closed the door with a loud _SLAM_ and this seemed to finally make Julie stop laughing.

The young woman sighed, climbing off the double bed. She walked over to the door and grabbed her suitcase, leaving the hotel room.

---

Freddie chewed on the nail of his ring finger, eyes never leaving the door of the restaurant. He had told Sam to be here at four. So why wasn't she here?

Freddie rolled his eyes. _It's Sam Puckett. Of course she's late!_ An annoyed voice shouted in his head.

"Maybe it's not good I hear voices," Freddie mused to himself, taking another glance at the clock.

"Are you talking to yourself?" A familiar voice asked. Freddie quickly spun around in his seat, brown eyes meeting electric blue.

"Um...no?" Freddie said nervously, biting down on his bottom lip. Sam smirked and put her hands on her hips, walking suggestively to her seat across from Freddie.

Freddie gulped. "So, your show last night was great."

Sam snorted, leaning further into her seat. "Dude, it was obvious you were uncomfortable. It seemed your girlfriend made you go."

"Oh, no!" Freddie shouted quickly, Sam's face wrinkling in confusion. "You see, she broke up with me last night. We had came to New York for a vacation before we went back to Seattle, 'cause I just graduated from college. And I-"

"Stop rambling! You haven't talked this much since our first date," Sam interrupted, slamming a hand down on the table.

A light blush spread over Freddie's face. "That...that was a good day -- to me, anyway," Freddie said softly. Sam nodded.

After that, a pregnant silence stayed for a while before an waitress came over to take their order.

---

"So I was thinking," Sam started, pausing to wipe her milk mustache, "My manager-Loni - she's throwing a birthday party for me. She thinks it's gonna be a surprise and everything but I found out ages ago. You wanna come?"

"Uh, um, sure." Freddie answered softly, staring at the inside of his cup of coffee.

"Great!" Sam said in a cheerful manner, jumping up from seat with her coffee in hand. "Pick me up at around 8:30."

Freddie whispered, "Yes," but Sam was already out the door.

---

**III.** _Sam_

Sam sighed, twirling around once again in yet another dress. It was blue -- her favorite color -- and showed off just enough cleavage. "How about this one?"

Carly's brow furrowed as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Looks to plain. You should try on the black one."

The blonde groaned as Carly threw her yet another dress. When Sam had told her she was going to the party with Freddie, she had dragged her to the mall so, as quote, "Freddie will fall in love with you all over again!" quote.

But Sam, on the other hand, wasn't as thrilled. It had been raining for the past two weeks and it was predicted the ever-lasting storm would only get worse tomorrow -- which, was the day of the party. Sam knew her hair -- the rain did not like it. At all.

Sam stepped out of the dressing room, hoping this dress would be the one. Quite frankly she just wanted to go home and watch TV.

"_O.M.G_!" Carly's jaw dropped. "Sam, this is so it! Freddie won't be able to keep his hands off you!"

"Finally," Sam groaned, walking back into the dressing room.

---

**IV.**

"Hopefully this will help," Carly said worriedly, biting down on her bottom lip.

Sam pulled on a loose string on her dress. Carly gasped, grabbing Sam's hand. "Don't pull it! Here, let me get a pair of scissors."

Sam rolled her eyes as Carly went searching for scissors. She winced at her reflection in the mirror. From the neck down, she looked stunning. The black dress stopped a few inches above her knees and had a low cut, showing off her cleavage just as the blue one had. There were silver diamond shapes decorating it and she had borrowed a pair of Carly's black flats.

However, from the neck up she looked as if she had just gotten out of the shower. Her hair was covered by a shower cap, a few strands loose, and some light makeup had been applied.

"Got them!" Carly shouted. Sam jumped; once she realized it was just the brunette she put a hand over her heart to calm her breathing.

Carly giggled, "I _so_ scared you."

"Don't ever do that again!" Sam said breathlessly, taking the scissors out of Carly's hand. She lightly took the loose thread in between her pointer and ring finger, cutting the thread.

"Freddie should be here any minute," Carly reminded as Sam put the scissors back on the dresser.

Sam gulped. "I know, I know!"

Carly laughed. "I feel like I'm back in high school." Sam nodded, falling back on to her bed.

Carly got into the same position. "I don't wanna leave you all alone in New York," she whined.

Sam smirked. "Someday I'll move back to Seattle, all right? But I just started up my singing career and New York has been a big help."

"Okay," Carly pouted, sitting up and crossing her arms over her chest.

---

**V.** _Freddie_

He gulped, adjusting his tie. Sam hadn't told him if it was just a casual formal, or all out formal -- he really hoped he had guessed right.

Freddie grabbed the box of chocolates he had brought with him and climbed out of his car; it definitely wasn't anything special and would probably only last a few more months, but it got him where he needed to go!

Freddie walked the path leading too Sam's townhouse. The path was extremely long (it was the same for all of the houses) and it took him about two or three minutes to finally reach the door. A ripped paper witch hung sideways on the door and above it was a sign that said, _Happy Halloween!_

Freddie rolled his eyes. _Of course Sam would still have Halloween decorations up_, he thought to himself, working up the courage to ring the doorbell.

He waited patiently. Freddie could hear loud thumping -- most likely the girls running around -- and Carly shout, "Freddie's here!"

The chaos seemed to die down after that and he heard a few more thumps before Carly opened the door. She had a wide smile on her face.

"May I introduce the beautiful Sam Puckett!" Carly said loudly in her man-voice, walking away from the doorway and bowing beside the stairs.

Sam appeared and started to make her way down the stairs. Freddie stared at her in awe and Sam blushed when she noticed. After walking slowly down a few steps, she picked up the pace, half-running down.

Freddie finally took his eyes off of Sam's chest and traveled to her head. He laughed at the shower cap that rested. "What's up with the cap?"

Sam hopped off the last step. "It's raining, isn't it?" Carly asked before Sam could, getting out of her bending position.

Freddie shook his head no, looking amused. "It stopped a couple of minutes ago. Just a light drizzle."

Sam begun to slip the shower cap off, but Carly grabbed her hands. "No! It could start raining again once the party's over."

Sam seemed to think this over for a moment. "You kinda have a point. C'mon, Freddie, let's -- hey! Is that a box of chocolates?"

Freddie chuckled. "Brought them just for you." Carly gave Freddie a thumbs up, Sam not noticing as she eagerly took the box and tore it open.

Carly picked up the lid. "Don't make yourself sick, Sam," Carly warned, motherly, walking away from the couple. She turned around before she was totally out of sight. "Oh, and Freddie, keep her out as long as you want to!"

Freddie and Carly laughed together at this comment, while Sam was preoccupied with her chocolate. When Carly faded out of sight he grabbed Sam's wrist, using his other hand to take the piece of chocolate she was about to eat. He licked it before dropping it back into the box.

She smirked, grabbing the chocolate once again. Sam repeated Freddie's actions before throwing it in the trash.

"Sexy," Freddie murmured, taking Sam's smaller hand in his. She smiled, squeezing his hand in response.

The duo walked out, not noticing Carly watching from behind one of Sam's fake plants.

---

**A/N: Here comes chapter two! I know I usually don't update my stuff on weekdays, but for some reason I was inspired. Anyhoo, I've got a three-day weekend coming up since Martin Luther King, Jr. Day so I should get some stuff done..maybe. My sis is getting surgery later this week so I might be busy waiting on her.:P**


	4. knocked up

_'Cause everything can change when you least except it_

_Can't stop what you can't control_

_Gotta learn how to just let go! - Spectacular!, Everything Can Change_

-

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**I.** _Carly_

"Hey, remember that time we-"

"Taped that note to Lewbert's-"

"And the old lady slapped-" Sam and Freddie erupted into loud laughter, clinging on to each other for support. Carly smirked at the two, taking another sip of her ginger ale. _Freddie is so checking her out_, Carly thinks, climbing off her bar stool.

"Where ya going?" Gibby asks innocently. Carly turns to face him and man, she can barely recognize him! Sam had told him if he couldn't keep his shirt on, don't come at all. And, duh, it was a Hollywood party -- who in their right minds would say no to an invite?

The brunette was wearing a slightly wrinkled white shirt, a sky blue tie, and jeans. Carly had to admit -- he wasn't really that bad looking, these days. He had grown considerably taller since high school and had stopped at the height of "5'11 and a half, and his voice finally deepened around their junior year.

"I'm leaving the lovebirds a few minutes alone," Carly said smoothly, putting both hands on her hips.

"Oh, good idea," Gibby agreed, jumping from his seat. Sam and Freddie (of course) didn't notice them leaving the bar.

One of Sam's newer songs, a fast-paced auto tune, was playing and hundreds of famous, important people (Carly had never felt so out of place in her entire twenty-one years) were dancing under the flashing purple and blue lights (Sam's favorite colors).

"May I have this dance?" Gibby says, breaking Carly's thoughts. His clammy hand lightly grabs hers and squeezes gently.

"That...would be nice," Carly replies softly. Gibby grins brightly and leads her out on to the dance floor.

**II.** _Freddie_

Freddie sighed, grabbing Sam tightly by the waist. "Come on, Sam, it's time to go home."

"But the night is young, baby!" Sam shouted; her words were slurred and she was kicking wildly, trying to escape Freddie's hold.

"Seriously, Sam. You're making a fool of yourself!" The blonde tensed and Freddie immediately knew he had said the wrong thing.

Sam started to laugh loudly, her blonde locks slapping Freddie in the face. "No, yoooou making a fool of yourself!"

Freddie looked too Carly for help, but she was to occupied with shoving her tongue down Gibby's throat. "Well, that's just great," Freddie muttered under his breath.

He decided to go for Plan B, instead scooping Sam up bridal style.

---

"How ya gonna open the door, Mr. Tough Guy?" Sam questioned sarcastically, her words still slurred.

Freddie rolled his eyes. Drunk or sober, Sam would always find some way to insult him. "You've got two legs. You can walk."

"What if I don't want to?" Sam spat back, purposely digging her long nails into Freddie's arm.

He winced, but quickly got himself together. "Don't think I won't leave you here."

Sam snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Okay, then," Freddie said calmly, before letting go of his tight hold on Sam. She screamed and braced herself for when her precious bottom would hit the hard parking lot floor, but she was saved by Freddie, of course.

Sam put a hand over her heart, trying to calm herself down. "I'll walk, Freddie."

---

"Here we are," Freddie grunted, trying to keep Sam from falling flat on her butt -- _again_.

Sam giggled. "Are you gonna stay the night?"

Freddie blushed furiously, keeping his grip on Sam's waist. "No! Just open the door."

"Why, I'm surprised! I would've thought you'd get them yourself," Sam said in a shock tone, puffing out her chest.

Even in her state, Sam could tell Freddie was losing his patience. She reached into her bra, taking out her keys.

Freddie raised his eyebrows. "That's where you've been keeping them? Why don't you just keep them in your purse?"

"If someone steals my purse, all they're getting is makeup, a hairbrush, and my songbook," Sam explained proudly, unlocking her door.

Freddie followed her in, shutting the door behind them. "So, you're gonna be fine for the night, right?"

Sam turned to face him and threw her arms around his neck. "I would be way happier if you stayed with me," Sam whispered into his ear, blowing on it for good measure before leaning away.

Freddie's eyes widened. "I'm gonna leave now, Sam," he gulped, letting go of Sam's waist.

He ran for the door but Sam beat him to it, blocking the way. "You're gonna regret this all in the morning!"

Sam rolled her eyes. "No, I won't!" The singer pounced on the twenty-two year old, their lips meeting in a sloppy kiss. Their teeth clashed, Sam bit his lip so hard she drew blood, and they fell onto the floor in a tangle of limbs, but it was all _them_.

Freddie broke the kiss. "Sam, I'm not about to take advantage of you like this!"

"I'm not as drunk as you think I am, I know what I'm doing! Sleep with me!"

"No!"

**III.** _Sam_

The sun was peeking in from behind the sky blue curtains and she can hear soft snoring from beside her. Her blonde locks are sprawled out on his chest; it's slowly rising with each breath he takes and her immediate action is to curl into his warm embrace.

Once she regains her senses, her immediate action is to jump up from the bed and scream. This, my friends, was a bad idea considering her _freaking_ times infinity hangover.

The guy murmured something unintelligible and pulled Sam back into him. _Hey, wait a minute! It's Freddie! The dork!_ a relieved voice in the back of her pounding head said. Sam perked up at this.

"Ha, I slept with Freddie," Sam said softly, relaxing once again into his arms.

Their "moment" was interrupted by Carly busting into the room, however. "Sam, you'll never guess! Me and Gibby..." she trailed off as she noticed Freddie.

"_OMG!_" Carly shouted. "Sam, you've gotta tell me all the details!"

"I won't tell you anything if you don't stop shouting," Sam growled. Freddie yawned, starting to wake up.

"It's about time you woke up!" Carly said shrilly, putting both hands on her hips. "What is going on here?"

"You sound like my mom," Freddie stated groggily, rubbing his eyes. "Why're you in my house, Carls?"

"This is my house, dork," Sam snapped, slapping Freddie upside his head. His brown eyes widened in realization.

"Oh." Freddie whispered quietly. Sam and Carly just stared.

_"AHHHHH!"_

**IV.** _Freddie_

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Freddie asked, tapping on the door of the bathroom. After his freak-out, Sam had simply pushed him off the bed and said something about getting "dressed" and Carly had suggested he throw on his clothes from last night before hurrying out of the room.

"Shoot," Sam replied. He could hear the shower turn off.

"Last night...it was so sudden...I really wasn't prepared..."

"Just spit it out, Fredifier," Sam prodded impatiently. He could hear the sound of Sam zipping up her jeans.

"There just might be a possibility you're pregnant." He could hear the sound of something hitting the floor and breaking into a million little pieces -- funny. He's sure he's about to do the same thing.

**V.** _Sam_

She walked out of the small bathroom, shutting the door behind her. "What'd the test say?" Carly and Freddie ask at the same time, jumping up from the lumpy bed.

"Call me mommy."

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**A/N: So, the perfectionist in me tells me this whole story is turning out to be crap but I'm starting to learn to ignore it. You guys are the real judges of things so I'm just gonna listen too what you guys say.**

**I've got a sudden spark of inspiration to start that Creddie one-shot set in the 1700s-1900s I've been intending to do -- originally it was a Seddie but the whole scenario would work better with Carly and Freddie. I had been working on my Criffin one but my mind wandered elsewhere....yes, I do have an problem staying with one thing.**

**Anyways, I'm currently pissed off which means I'll update a whole bunch of stuff tonight.:/**


	5. it's complicated

**I.** _Sam_

Sam nervously toyed with the charm bracelet on her wrist, glancing around the waiting room. The nurse was chewing furiously on a piece of gum while looking through a thick folder of papers. There was a girl who looked about 16 sitting next to her; the girl's dark brown eyes were wide and she was biting her fingernails. She was clutching her backpack to her chest and her left leg bounced up and down.

Sam's heart broke for the girl, quickly looking away once the girl noticed her staring. Her gaze traveled over to a married couple across the room -- they were _thisclose_. They were both smiling and God, is it really possible for people to be this freaking happy? Sam's mind wanders back to her unfortunate situation.

Her music career was just in its beginning, Freddie had that job lined up at Pear... this, this just wasn't in the plans. Sam was snapped out of her deep thoughts when the nurse finally called her name. "Samantha Puckett? Dr. Roseberry's ready for you now."

A shaking hand reaches down to grab her purse off the floor and she makes slow steps after the nurse.

**II**. _Freddie_

Freddie nervously paced in his hotel room. "Why hasn't she called yet, Carly?" He took a shaky breath, turning to face the brunette. "Do you think something happened? Oh, gosh, what about the baby? What about _Sam_?"

Carly rolled her eyes, getting up from her chair to place a comforting hand on Freddie's shoulder. "Freddie, stop! I'm sure Sam's fine. Look, I'm not -- I don't know how you and Sam are gonna figure out this thing, but I'm sure you guys will work it out....you always do."

"If we always did," Freddie started, looking Carly squarely in the eyes, "We would still be together."

Carly swallowed, dropping her hand from Freddie's shoulder. _Ring...ring..._ "That's probably Sam."

Freddie hurried over to his cell phone, clicking the Talk button. "Sam, is that you?"

_"Yeah."_

"Are you really pregnant? What did the doctor say?" Freddie asked hopefully, the dullness in his eyes disappearing.

Sam let out a shaky breath. _"I'm so sorry, Freddie."_

Carly watched on with hopefulness for the two. "Um, I'm gonna go back to Seattle for a while, and get my stuff together, move out of the apartment and then I'm gonna see if I can get a job at Pear in New York. Okay?"

Sam nodded, forgetting Freddie couldn't see her. _"You always know what to do, Fredwardo."_ Her insult didn't have that same sting it almost always did and man, Freddie wants it to come back....come back so at least something, anything in his life just -- just won't change.

Sam clicked off. "So, it's a definite yes that Sam is pregnant?" Carly asked after a moment's silence, her eyes falling to the floor.

Freddie said nothing, slowly walking out of the hotel room.

**III**. _Carly_

Carly Jane Shay thought messed up chiz like this only happened in the romantic dramas she loved to watch, but she was proved wrong -- her best friend, Samantha Puckett, a famous singer was pregnant by her ex-best friend/boyfriend, Freddie Benson, a college graduate and resident tech geek.

Carly wiped a few remaning tears from her eyes, Sam gripping her tighter. "I love you, kid," Sam whispered into Carly's ear a second time before finally letting go.

Freddie looked on with sad eyes, hating to interrupt. "Carls, it's time to get on the plane now."

"Alright," Carly managed to choke out, walking over to the waiting plane. Freddie turned towards Sam and they stared at each other for a few minutes (it feels like hours), before Sam sharply turned around and headed back to her car.

"You guys can do this, Freddie." Carly comforted, patting the man on the back. Freddie nodded and followed Carly on to the plane.

**IV. **The Breaking Point

_Sam,_

_Me and Carly have just finished packing up all of my things. My boss says he'll try to find something for me at the Pear office in Syracuse, so cross your fingers for me. I'm sorry I didn't write sooner-- how was the doctor's appointment? Everything is good, right?_

_So, um, anyways I guess I'll see you in a couple of weeks, a month maybe if everything works out fine...?_

_Love,_

_Freddie Benson_

Sam swallowed as she the read the last line of the letter. Love? Did he mean something by that, or was that just his signing off thing? Sam bit down on her bottom lip, shaking her head as to get rid of the thoughts. It was a mistake! He didn't mean to do this. With racing thoughts going through her mind, Sam picked up her pen, starting her reply too the short letter.

_Dear Fredward,_

_Yeah, yeah, the baby's fine._

Sam paused.

_But, you know, me and The Thing would be fine without you, so if you can't get a job in Syracuse, that's perfectly fine, Freddie._

_Yours Truly,_

_Sam Puckett_

Sam looked over the letter one last time before shoving it into an white, crisp envelope and sealing it close.

---

"I just don't know what to do anymore," Sam stressed to her twin, burying her face in her hands.

"I'm sure Freddie's just been too busy to talk, or write." Melanie reached for her coffee mug, yelling out _"Yes!"_ when she finally pulled it down. "Why'd you put it up so high?"

"I didn't do that, Mom's boyfriend did," Sam said with a smirk. Melanie's mouth formed a perfect 'O'. "Ewww, Sam!" She put the mug back and took out another one. "And that was my favorite, too."

"What if he actually took my letter about "being able to do it myself" seriously?" Sam exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"If you didn't want him to take it seriously why did you write it in the first place?" Melanie yelled. Sam looked down towards the floor.

"I don't know." Melanie made a _tsk, tsk_ sound, putting a hand over her heart. "Oh, Samantha."

Sam cringed at the name as Melanie pulled her into a bone crushing hug. "Just wait and everything will fall into place, sis."

"No, it won't," Sam argued, shoving Melanie away from her. "Stop saying crap like that!"

Melanie just rolled her eyes, taking another sip of her coffee. "Anyways, I've got a lecture down at the college. I'll catch you later, Sam!"

The blonde nodded as Melanie picked up her backpack from the couch and headed for the door.

---

_Sam,_

_What is wrong with you?! You broke Freddie's little heart! He still loves you, y'know and I know you love him too! This is absolutely RIDICULOUS! You're both acting like big 'ol nubs!_

_Freddie won't write you 'cause he thinks ya don't want him anywhere near you, and Melanie told ME that you're getting scared that Freddie hasn't written you back! Seriously, Sam, I'm tired of this game you're playing! YOU LOVE EACH OTHER!_

_You love Freddie!_

_Carly_

"Man, Carly is really worked up about this," Melanie laughed nervously, setting the letter down on the table in front of her.

Sam whispered, "You told her about our conversation?" Melanie had always considered herself a good reader of faces, and she could clearly read Sam's-- shocked, horrified, and a little bit of hope.

"It's in the name of love!" Sam opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by the loud ringing of the phone. She rolled her eyes, picking up her cell phone from the coffee table.

"Hello?"

_"Hey, Sam. It's Freddie. I'm outside."_

-

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**_"There will always be obstacles set to separate you from the prize."_**

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**A/N: And on that note, I leave you on a cliffhanger! ...Kinda. This chapter was really easy to write once I got started; I'm getting really into this and I have big plans for it.**

**....Review?;)**


	6. and the wheels keep on turning

Review Replies

**Underworldchic**- Thanks for the awesome review!! I hope this is fast enough for you.=)

**: ]** -Meh, I wouldn't call myself that good of a writer...;) Thanks for reviewing; I really appreciate it. Stuff like this -- it really brightens up my day.

_I._ **Freddie**

Freddie re-adjusted his tie, hoping there wasn't a sweat spot considering how much of it he was doing. That was always one thing he hated-- whenever he was nervous, the brunette would start sweating uncontrollably.

"It's either now or later sunny," an elderly lady from across the street said impatiently. "You've been standing outside forever!" _That's Sam in fifty years,_ Freddie thought with a chuckle as the woman walked back into her house. He dialed Sam's number, putting his cell phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Sam answered with a tired sigh.

"Hi, Sam. I-I'm outside," Freddie stuttered.

There was a long pause before there was a loud _BEEEP_ signaling Sam had hung up. His jaw dropped in shock and he almost dropped his cell phone before he quickly re-gained his composure.

Freddie closed his cell phone and shoved it back in his pocket, turning around to leave when Melanie opened the door and pulled him into the house. _She really is Sam's twin_, Freddie thought sarcastically as he tried to straighten out his suit.

"Is Sam here?" Melanie nodded. She put a hand on her hip, cocking her head to the side, studying Freddie for a quick second before putting a finger to her tongue and messing over his hair.

He swatted at the petite blonde, trying to make her move but to no avail. Once Melanie was done, she stepped away and shouted, "_Voila_! My masterpiece is finished," in an obviously fake Italian accent.

She grabbed Freddie's hand and pulled him upstairs to Sam's room, her pigtails all the while hitting him in the face.

_II._ **Melanie**

She couldn't believe this! For a while, she had been worried that Sam and Freddie's love affair would end on a bitter note, but here he was! _This_, Melanie thought, _would be a perfect plot for her next romance novel!_

"Are you sure she, um, wants to see me? I mean, in the letter she said..."

"Sam didn't mean that! You know how she is -- always acting on impulse!" Melanie cut off with a slightly insane sounding laugh.

The two finally reached Sam's room, and Melanie gave Freddie a playful push toward it. Sam slowly opened the door. "I guess I'll just leave you two lovebirds alone!" Melanie giggled, skipping off to the guest bedroom she slept in.

Sam rolled her eyes, waving the man in. As soon as Melanie heard the door close, she grabbed her writing note book and hurried over to Sam's room, pencil safely tucked behind her ear.

_"I thought you had actually took my note seriously." _Melanie furiously scribbled the sentence down, and waited for a response.

There was a long pause before Freddie said anything. _"I love you, Sam."_

_"I love you too, Freddie." _Melanie bit down on her lip to stop from gasping. _"You're my best friend -- you know, next to Carly of course."_

_And of course she has to ruin the moment! That is most definitely not going down in my book._

Freddie chuckled. _"I got a job at the Pear in New York City- it's kinda far from here but I can manage."_

_"That sounds...nice."_

Silence...a smacking sound...a gasp...and more smacking. Melanie wasn't sure what was going on in there, but she had a pretty good idea.

_"What are we doing?" _Sam asked; Melanie had never heard her sister sound so...weak.

_"I don't know."_

_"Can we do it again?"_

Silence...a smacking sound...a gasp...more smacking...and excited laughs. Melanie smiled, looking down at her engagement ring.

Maybe, she thought, just maybe her sister had finally found a happily ever after.

_III._** Sam**

"I can't believe we just did that again!" Sam shouted, outraged, rolling away from Freddie's outstretched arm.

"I thought we were over this," Freddie said in a quiet tone and to tell the truth, that scared Sam more than when he shouted.

Not meeting his eyes, Sam whispered, "Are you sure you really want this?"

Freddie lightly placed his hand on her cheek, forcing her to look him in the eyes. He smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead before turning over to go back too sleep.

"Good mornin', lovebirds!" Melanie sang, swaying too the Taylor Swift song playing on the radio, all the while making breakfast.

Sam and Freddie shot each other looks. "So you have a appointment today?"

"Yup," Sam answered, licking her lips as she waited for Melanie to finish. "I'm going with you. I don't start work until Tuesday." Freddie said quietly.

Melanie giggled to herself, "You guys are the perfect couple!" sliding Sam her breakfast.

Samantha Puckett was in a very bad mood. Do you wanna know why? The stupid doctor had expressed his stupid concerns about her stupid lifestyle and what it might do to the stupid baby (_she would never let anything like that happen, thank you very much_) and now her freaking "baby daddy" was treating her like an inmate or something!

She longed (_wished_) to be on that stage, singing to her screaming (_wild_) fans -- but what was she doing? Fredward freaking Benson was trying to make her eat a SALAD! Seriously. Not kidding.

"Sam, come on."

"No."

Freddie sighed. After a few seconds, he lifted his head up with a goofy smile on his face and the blonde assumed he had come up with another idea. "Sammy, here comes the airplane! Wooo..."

"What the-" Before Sam could finish her sentence, Freddie shoved a mouthful of the salad into her open mouth, his fingers barely escaping being chomped down on.

"FREDWARD!" The man flinched, but nonetheless to advantage of the opening and fed her as much as he could.

He clutched his stomach in pain after a powerful punch knocked the wind out of him, and the salad bowl fell to the ground with a soft _clink_. Sam picked it up, humming to the tune of one of her newest songs and washed it out; all the while Freddie wondered desperately if by the end of these nine months would he end up dead, his corpse sitting on the side of the road rotting.

**A/N: So this chapter was kinda like a filler one, just to help the story move along, so to speak. I had A LOT of trouble writing this one and deciding where to end it, so please give some feedback on what you thought of it.**

**Now that I've got this out, I'm gonna get started on my new short Cibby (Carly/Gibby) story & finish up my Wizards of Waverly Place oneshot. Hopefully the next chap. will come more smoothly to me...:P**


	7. let love begin

**_Let love begin_**

**_Oh, I know its never gonna end _**

**_Its the real thing I'm feeling _**

**_All the others were pretend _**

**_Let love begin _**

**_Now it's time to dive right in _**

**_Don't save me if I'm drowning _**

**_Just take me down again_**

-**Dee Roberts **~~ _"Let Love Begin"_

_I._ **Freddie**

"Would you like some Girl Scout cookies, Mister?" Freddie smirked. "Of course I would!" He replied in a joking tone. The little girl smiled wide, making her missing front teeth noticeable. He laughed, handing her the money; he ended up buying two- Sam was bad pregnant or not, but surprisingly her appetite could get worse.

"Freeeedie!" Sam screeched, waddling towards him as fast as humanly possible. Everyone's heads turned towards Sam and him. "I'm hungry."

_That's some good luck, Benson,_ Freddie thought to himself as he thrust the two boxes of cookies too her. Her face lit up and she sat down, getting ready to devour them.

"Eh, what's the name of 'er wife?" A shady-looking man sitting next to him asked, scratching his long beard. To be frank, he looked like a hobo Freddie had seen sitting outside of Super Super Wal-Mart.

He hesitated before answering, "Um...she's a singer. Sam Puckett-used to be a back-up singer for the, um, Skulls...?"

"I knew I remembered that face..." His face went pale and Freddie couldn't help but notice the dark tone his voice took on -- it was a sharp contrast from the cheery one he had heard just a few seconds ago.

"What do you mean?" Freddie whispered, moving to sit next to the man.

"How far along is she -- in the pregnancy, I mean."

"7 months. Why?" The brunette hissed, his eyes narrowing into tiny silts.

"I think...I might be..."

Freddie's jaw dropped to the ground.

_II_. **Carly**

Carly couldn't believe what she was hearing.

She knew Sam got around -- everybody pretty much knew that -- but for some reason, the possibilty that Freddie couldn't be the father had never came to mind....it sure would've saved a lot of heart ache.

"Are you sure he's the father?" Carly asked in a quiet tone after a long time of silenece.

"Not...exactly." Carly felt a new spark of hope for her two friends' relationship before Freddie continued with, "it could be anybody's freaking baby." That wasn't very good.

"You should get a DNA test!" Carly exclaimed.

"The baby isn't even here yet," Freddie deadpanned. Carly's smile fell as she went back to thinking of solution to the problem (because it wouldn't be Carly if she didn't butt in to Sam and Freddie's problems).

"I feel so stupid...I left Seattle for this baby that might not even be mine, my crazy Mom is all alone..."

"Freddie, please, don't-" And with one long beep, their conversation was ended.

"Is something wrong, babe?" Gibby asked, sliding into the booth next to Carly.

"No, I'm fine. Spencer's just being weird again," Carly laughed (some people call it lying, Carly likes to think of it as acting).

For some reason, at four in the morning (the next day, technically) when Carly stumbled into her apartment pretty much drunk out of her mind, held up by her not as drunk roommate Sam decided to call.

"Oooh, I love this song!" Sharla rolled her eyes as Carly attempted to dance too her ringtone. "Would you stop that?"

"You are such a party pooper!" Carly yelled with a big pout, taking her cell out of her purse. "_Hellooo_? I Carly! _Geeet_ it? Of course you do!"

"Are you okay, Carly?" Sam asked, slightly jealous, a little concerned. She hadn't been to the club since the pregnancy, and she really wished she could go out.

"I would be if Sharla wasn't _suuuuuuuuch_ a party pooper!"

"Stop slurring your words like that, it's annoying," Sharla said, popping her gum.

"Oh, shut up!" Carly shrieked, attempting to hit the redhead but missing. "That's it," she said dryly, letting go of the young woman.

"Don't go, Sharla!"

"Look, Carls, I'll call you in the morning when most likely you'll have a hang over." Carly's eyes widened.

"Are you gonna talk about that guy who might be the father of the baby?"

"....Maybe."

"_SAM_! Look, look, I'm all sober!

"Carls, it's just so unfair!" Sam shouted into the phone. Carly could hear the blonde banging her head on a table.

"Sam, stop banging your head! I'm pretty stuff like that causes brain damage or something..." Carly hiccuped, shakily sitting down before she fell...or something.

"I knew I slept around but yet I was so convinced that it was Freddie's...I'm usually smarter than this!"

"Well," Carly started, popping a grape into her mouth, "maybe you loved him so much you wanted something that would gurantee he wouldn't leave you....or something."

"You think I love Fredward?"

"Well...yeah - or something," Carly slurred. She was so going to have a killer hangover in the morning.

"Maybe you should tell him that -- you know, that you love him," Carly continued, waiting for her friend to say something else.

"I doubt it will do much!" Sam barked. Carly winced, pulling the phone away from her ear.

"But it'll be closure,_ Samantha_."

The line went dead and that was the last Carly heard from Sam....

_III_. **i hate that i love you**

...Until today.

Freddie had finally got a day off work for Memorial Day and after a lot of pacing, he'd decided to visit Sam and see how the pregnancy was going. There was a 50% chance this baby wasn't his, but the other 50% chance that it was his kept him caring.

Sam's done much worse. Why does this one hurt so bad?  
( it's a baby. growing inside her. w o u l d i t l o o k l i k e h i m o r w o u l d i t l o o k l i k e h e r o r w o u l d i t b e a m i x o f t h e m ? )

He hates _her_. He hates _her_ and _her_ baby and he _hates_ that _he loves her_.

"Sam?" Freddie croaks out nervously, ringing the doorbell.

There's no answer and he's already ready to kick down her door.

"Sam. Open the door."

...That's it. The brunette gets ready to kick it down but it's _him _and _he_ doesn't kick down doors (he thought he didn't knock up twenty-two year old rockstars too, though...)

"Melanie! Mel! Melanie Hannah Puckett! Open the door, it's Freddie!"

Melanie hurried to open the door. Her blonde hair was in two braided pigtails and she was wearing all pink - she was the complete opposite of Sam, that was one thing that (thankfully) hadn't changed.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Melanie said, eyeing him with a weird exspression.

"I, uh...can I come in?"

"Sure, Freddie," Melanie replied with a small smile opening the door wider for him.

The two spent a good hour or so laughing about all the pranks Sam had done to them over the years and it turned out, they had a lot in common.

(f r e d d i e w a s g e t t i n g t o o c o m f o r t a b l e)

"Thanks for visiting, Freddie....I really enjoyed it. A lot." Melanie said shyly, batting her eyelashes at him.

(h e ' s j u s t s c r e w i n g u p w i t h b o t h o f t h e m)

"I had a good time, too, Mel." He could hear his mother's nagging voice in the back of his voice yelling at him to retreat before he was in too deep.

"Remember, when you thought I was Sam and we went on that date and I kissed you...?" Freddie nodded slowly. "You were so cute back then...but now, now you're a man..."

"Yeah, man...ya know, I just graduated from college. Got a good paying job at Pear."

"Sounds great," Melanie said brightly with a smirk.

(h e w i s h e s t h e y d i d n ' t l o o k s o m u c h a l i k e....)

"I wanna be a actress - did I already tell you that?"

"Yes."

"Actresses kiss a lot of men over the years - in movies, and everything."

"I'm aware."

"And it usually never means a..._thing_."

(dangerdangerdangerDANGER)

All of the sudden her cherry chapstick lips are crushed against his and they're so soft and it all feels so right and he's kissing her back and then it all gets fuzzy and she's leading him upstairs and all he sees is Sam -- but isn't that technically seeing Melanie?

His brain hurts and he just wants to stop caring for a minute and have a little fun. Has a one night stand ever hurt anybody?

(yes, that's why Sam and you are so screwed up!)

He wakes up the next morning with blonde hair in his face and he immeatidly assumes it's hers but he sees the cute, pink "Hello Kitty" pajamas and realizes it's not Sam, it's _Melanie_.

He looks down but he's still fully clothed in what he was wearing today - or yesterday (he's not sure it matters) - and he guesses all they did was make out and then she let him sleepover.

"Melanie? Wake up."

"What? I'm trying to sleep..."

"I need your keys to Sam's house. I promise I'll bring them back!" Freddie whispers lightly.

"They're in my purse, just take 'em," she grumbles, turning over to face him.

The first thing he hears when he opens the door is loud crying and he races over to her, holding her shaking body in his arms.

"Shhh...it's alright. Freddie's here..."

"Freddie, I-I'm so sorry," she whispers and he just hushes her.

He doesn't care if this baby isn't his. He _needs_ her and he's gonna treat this baby like it's his own.

When Freddie goes over to Melanie's house and gives her back his keys, he excepts it to be awkward but she acts like nothing happens and just takes them back.

As he leaves he can hear her say, "Bye, Freddie!" and he guesses she and Sam do have one thing in common.

They're _great_ at not getting attached.

"You've got ice cream on your nose!" Freddie laughed, taking a napkin and wiping her nose clean.

"I'm pregnant and tired and my ankles are all swollen!" Sam stuck her tongue out at him from across the table, playfully taking a tiny piece of his ice cream.

Freddie just rolled his eyes, warmly putting his hand over hers.

_All was right in the world......_

**A/N: THIS WAS SO HARD TO WRITE! I kept on getting writer's block with this story and I ALMOST put it on hiatus, but I forced myself to sit down and continue with it. I hope it's not messy because I forced this out really bad...**

**I got the idea to make there an other man that could the father from this AWESOME reviewer that pointed out in the first chapter I made it sound like Sam got around and it wouldn't make sense to assume it's Freddie's...From now on, except some Seddie fluffiness - no MOAR drama! Drama is to depressing for me to write=(**

**P.S.:Sorry for any spelling mistakes, my writing thingy was acting weird and wouldn't spellcheck for me.**


	8. the only exception

_I_. **Sam**

"I feel like a whale."

"You look like one," Melanie said cheerfully while helping her eight - and a half - month pregnant twin get ready for her date with Freddie.

"Wow, Mel, that's a really nice thing to say." Carly said dryly, rolling her eyes at the blonde. Melanie shrugged in response.

Once Sam had told her Freddie wanted to take her out too dinner on Saturday to a very expensive restaurant, Carly had concluded _yes_, Freddie was going too propose to her, hitched the first train ride to New York from Seattle (after promising Gibby to call every night and getting smothered with kisses from him, of course) here she was helping her get ready!

Since Sam didn't particularly feel like dealing with the paparazzi and her crazed fans (s h e h o p e d t h e y s t i l l l o v e h e r - she can't loose more people. . .) Melanie had went out and bought the dress she'd been eyeing in some Sears catalog. It was a silky, glitter-covered sky blue dress with long sleeves that reached the tip-tops of her fingers. Carly had left her hair curly, putting it up in a messy bun and letting her borrow a pair of chandelier earrings.

"_Voila_!" Melanie exclaimed, taking a step back to admire Carly and hers masterpiece. "Go get him, sista!"

Sam smirked, grabbing her matching purse and walking out of the bathroom.

_II_. **Carly**

It. Was. Just. Like. A movie!

Sam slowly came down the stairs (as Mel and me looked on, of course) and once Freddie got a good look at her, his mouth dropped open and Sam giggled (something that doesn't occur often - she must really be in love!).

Once she got down the flight of stairs, she practically ran into Freddie's waiting arms, slinging hers around his neck. He pecked her on the lips before breaking their embrace and leading her out the door into the night. She shivered slightly. This didn't go unnoticed by Freddie, though!

He quickly came to her rescue, taking off his jacket and putting it around her. Then, turning around and giving a wink to us, Freddie walked out the door behind a very happy Samantha Puckett.

_III_. **Freddie**

Today was a fairytale.

Call me a wimp, say I'm being sappy, (as Sam just did a minute ago when I said that to her and tried to kiss her) I don't care! What made this day a fairytale?

.

The ride to the restaurant was spent pointing and laughing at random people on the street, Sam getting excited whenever we passed a hobo - or somebody that looked like a hobo. I just loved looking at her.

Soon, we pulled up at Sam's favorite (and my most hated) place - McDonald's.

But, maybe, having to eat all that crap was worth it when I looked over and saw how happy she was.

My mom helped me decide how to propose (yup, that's right, I did it!). Once we got inside and picked out a table (or more like I picked out a table while Sam drooled over the food - is it healthy for pregnant women to eat that junk?) the waiter came by with our menus and once she was fully in to hers, I told the waiter what I needed her to do for my plan to work.

She agreed, and a little reluctanly I gave her the ring. Then, Sam started to talk about something - I honestly wasn't really listening.

.

_(does she really love me? should i do this?)_

**_(Fredward, honey, you can always come back to Seattle, live with me until you get back on your feet! It's not your baby, sweetheart. You have no obligations too Samantha!)_**

_(i love her. you're gonna have to get used too that.)_

_**(Whatever you want to do, hon, I'm proud of you. Just remember - )**_

_(i will!)_

**dangerdangerdangerDANGER**

_His mother is freaking killing his social life. He hopes he's not the only person who can't do anything of the romance kind without their mother interrupting, reminding him of all the germs he could get or how everything could just go wrong like dad and her. . ._

_**This is your life. Nothing to do with your mother. Nothing to do with your father. This is **_your_** life.**_

**_Sam Puckett - she's the only exception. . . ._**

**_(you make me believe in love. . .)_**

.

Her eyes start to tear up and she stares down at the sparkling ring, her mouth opening and closing.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Sam practically screeches and wow (oh, _wow_) it's like a scene out of a movie as everyone turns to hear what the commotion is about but once they see her admiring her ring and then throwing her arms around his neck, kissing all over they break out into a series of whistles, screams...

He hears a few excited teenagers squeal, "Oh my gosh! It's Sam friggin' Puckett! Do you think she'll give us an autograph?" Then a mother cut in, "She just got engaged! Really, Emily!"

But all he sees is Sam. _His_ Sam.

"Freddie?"

"Yeah?"

"You make me believe in love, too."

.

When Carly and Melanie find out, they take one look at Sam and say, "If we hurry, this baby can be born not-out-of-wedlock." And suddenly, the two were planning the whole wedding and calling everyone up to New York-his Mom had called him after they had, crying about her baby boy getting married-and all of the sudden they say, "We're going to the mall too get Sam a dress for the wedding!" and then it's all so _real_.

Seriously. Who plans a wedding in a _month_? Anyways, now Sam is a little over nine months and her due date (just two weeks away) is approaching.

"What kind of wedding dress can they find for a nine month pregnant woman?" I slur, taking another sip of my alcohol. Gibby giggles (seriously, he did) and then answers.

"Maybe," _hiccup_, "they'll get a dress that those really fat brides always manage to get their hands on."

It's my bachelor party (or more like get drunk but you can't go out anywhere where I can't watch you, Sam warns, and really who defies Sam, of all people?) and we're lounging around in the living room of our house watching old Beyonce stuff (Sam lets you have that, at least, you think with a smirk).

It's a small party made up of Gibby and a couple of friends from Pear...you really need a life.

"Freddie!" Carly squeals, throwing open the door too Sam's townhouse with a bunch of shopping bags and still manages to hold a tuxedo without dragging it on the floor. "Come on, you've gotta see your tuxedo! It's _so_you! I think you're gonna absolutely love it-"

"Carls, I'm kind of trying to have a bachelor party here." He tries not to slur his words as much as he was doing before; the brunette doesn't do a good job.

"Freddie, the wedding is in two days!" She shouts, and all of the other guys groan.

"Just try on the stupid tux," Gibby sighs, sinking further into the chair he's seated in.

"Fine."

.

"What do ya think?"

"It's...good, I guess. I'm not really much of a fashion kind of guy," Freddie explains quickly, noticing the hurt look on Carly's face. She quickly replaces it with a signature Shay comma Carly smile.

God, he's gonna miss this girl. He thinks of all the good times, when he was little and had that crush on her (which he admits now was a little creepy), filming iCarly...

It's like the end...but it's also, the beginning.

"You know, I had this idea," Carly says after a moment of silence. "We could do an iCarly special video like we did when you and me graduated college and Sam came to watch us."

"At the wedding? ...Hey, that's actually a really good idea!" Freddie grins. "Just like old times, eh?"

Carly just shakes her head and smiles the widest smile.

.

IV. Sam

"So...today's the wedding. Yup, that's right, Fredward and me are getting married...tying the knot...what's some other words for getting married?" Sam asks, turning away from the camera to look at Carly.

"I don't know," Carly snaps, standing up from her chair. "Where's Miss Puckett?"

"She's running late," Spencer's wife's niece (the flower girl) announces, twirling a strand of dark hair around her finger.

"Who told you that?" Carly practically barks, as she gets down on her knees to fix the six-year-old's ponytail.

"Uh, M-Melanie - she, um, said to tell you that she was going to pick her mom up and bring her too the wedding 'cause her boyfriend stole her car," Dana stutters. Carly's eyes go wide.

"Well, did Miss Puckett take her meds? You know, so she's not all crazy?" Dana shrugs as Carly finishes re-doing her hair.

"Maybe this is a sign that I shouldn't get married..." Sam mumbles, biting down so hard on her bottom lip that she almost draws blood.

Carly gasps, running over too Sam's side. "We have come way too far for you to back out now! This is MY wedding and you can't ruin it!"

The blonde stares at her friend for a moment before rolling her eyes. "I can't even have pre-wedding jitters without you jumping on me."

Just at that moment, Melanie and her mother run through the door; Melanie is breathing hard, her dress is tattered and her hair is messy - Ms. Puckett, on the other hand, looks the prettiest Sam has ever seen her. Her dirty blonde hair is up in a messy bun with a sleeveless blue dress that reaches right above her knees, and a cigarette held in-between red lipstick covered lips.

"Mel!" Carly shrieks. Mrs. Benson comes in behind the duo, looking slightly pissed off.

"Freddie wouldn't let me fix his hair," she says with a blank expression on her face. "I need something to do. Come on." Marissa grabs Melanie by the arm, leading her over to the vanity.

"Is everybody here, now?" Sam says, raising an eyebrow at Carly as Sasha Striker, Spencer's wife, comes in her lips swollen from kissing she suspects.

"Pretty sure!" Carly replies, recovering from her shock of seeing Melanie in such a state. "Did you take your meds yet, Ms. Puckett?"

"What meds?" she answers in a stuck up tone, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Good, you took 'em!"

.

_V_. **Freddie**

"Got ya!" Freddie shouts in triumph, as Gibby's character falls off of the platform.

"Just you and me now, Freddie." Spencer smirks as he and the groom-to-be get ready for another round of the video game.

Gibby sits by Justin, a new friend of Freddie's from college who had been knocked out the round before.

After everyone had gotten dressed for the big day, they had decided to play some video games as they waited until it was time too head out.

"I feel so old," Spencer says after a moment, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"You know...I watched the three of you grow up, and now Carly's graduated from college and she's getting ready for law school next year, Sam and you are gonna be married with a kid...Sasha's pregnant..."

"What a minute!" Gibby shouts, Justin wincing and rubbing his ears. "Did you say Sasha's pregnant?"

"Dude! Congratulations," Justin says, giving Spencer a slight pat on the back.

"I was wondering when that would happen - you guys are getting up there," Freddie snorts, jabbing the oldest Shay in the side.

"Hey!" Spencer squeaks, but it's too late and he's already lost the game and really, he doesn't care 'cause it's Freddie's day.

.

_VI_. **together again and it feels so good...**

Justin seats himself down at the piano and begins to play the classic wedding song - _"Here Comes the Bride"_ - but after he can hear Sam booing him from behind the curtain he stops for a moment, thinking and suddenly he's got _it_!

He begins to play _"Together Again"_ and all the guests hum with approval and some clap along lightly as the bride comes down the aisle. Usually the flower girl would come down the aisle in front of the bride, but this is _Sam's_ wedding. Dana holds the train of Sam's long, white dress and Guppy (the ring bearer - _where_ was he anyway?) slowly walks behind Dana.

Freddie does a sharp intake of breath as he stares at Sam, the woman he's positive he loves. The very top of her dress covers up her neck and it has long V-shaped sleeves that are a tad over-sized but it's part of the look, he reminds himself. Sam's hair is done up in a tight bun and a tiny tiara is placed there. She wears black, because she's pregnant and it's slimming; she also wears it because she'd be a liar if she wore white and she's not in to lying in a church.

The veil covers her face as she finally makes her way up to him and they stand side-by-side together. Guppy walks past Dana, as they planned, and she turns around, throwing all of her flowers into the aisle, crowd. Everyone laughs and he hears his Mom chuckle, "Look how cute she is!"

Guppy hands them the ring and the guy (he looks like a Bob) says all the mandatory stuff - Freddie and her don't write their own vows because they're _Sam and Freddie _- and then it's like a blur.

"I do."

"Of course I do!" Sam says rudely, a hand on her hip and he remembers why he loves this girl.

"You may kiss the bride," Guy-who-looks-like-a-Bob says but the newly married couple are already kissing.

And seriously, it's the most sloppiest kiss they've ever had and their teeth clash and Sam grunts when Freddie accidentally bites her tongue, but it's freaking perfect!

.

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! I worked really hard on it, and it was a little challenging 'cause I had a whole bunch of other story ideas on my mind & I really, really wanted to work on those but I got this out for you guys! One more chapter and then a epilogue - we're almost at the end!**

**Reviews make my heart happy!**


	9. esperanza

_I. _**Freddie**

_Dear Carly,_

_I know almost no one writes letters anymore, but I'm just not everyone. Oh, and Sam says hi...I think. Whatever._

_Anyway, I thought I'd give you a little update on Sam & me since the last time you saw us we were all married and happy and stuff..._

_Now, Sam was _supposed _to have her baby (never found out if it was a boy or a girl - didn't have time) on Monday, but that's been kind of...delayed. Right now it is Thursday, which means Sam's been pregnant for a _LONG _time right about now. And guess what? She's taking it out on me!_

_Oh, it's been a nightmare...Melanie just decided to "disappear" and leave me all alone with Sam! Well, her Mom is around but I don't really count her...she's busy with her new boyfriend - he works with me at Pear. She's, like, 10 years older than him...WHY do men like her?_

_So, to get back on topic, Sam is even bigger now than when you were here! I have to sleep on the couch now because she rolls around a lot in bed and it's not very cute anymore when she lands on top of me; I thought I was gonna die!_

_When I get back from work almost all of the food is gone and she's still hungry, so I've been shopping a lot lately. Good thing she saved all of her money she's got so far from her music and everything..._

_She's been getting into the studio, recording some new tracks for her next album. Once she finally pops out this kid she's probably gonna be busy, so good for her...I've been making decent money at Pear but I'm still getting coffee & donuts for everyone...can't wait until I'm _working!

_How's everyone back at home doing?_

_Signed,_

_Fred Benson *wink, wink*_

_._

_II. _**Carly**

_Freddie (you'll never be "Fred" to me),_

_I'm glad I'm not there! Tell Sam I loooove her!_

_I can't wait to hear some of Sam's new stuff...Layla (my roommate from college) is a really big fan and she's so jealous I know her! One day Sam should come visit Seattle and I could introduce her to Layla - I'm 200% positive they'd get along!_

_Hmm, if it's a girl I say Carly should be one of her names! ;) I'm not really feeling Fredward, Jr. though...that'd scar the poor little baby for life!_

_Why _do_ men like Ms. Puckett? That's something scientist have been trying to understand for years, my dear friend._

_Sasha and Spencer are really excited about the baby - they haven't told my dad or my grandpa yet; they really didn't wanna tell anyone until they got further into it, but Spencer's really bad at keeping secrets so that's how I know! Not sure if Sasha's family knows yet. Oh! And Spence has an art gallery opening on Friday - I can't wait to see it!_

_Me and Gibby broke up...*sniff*...it was good while it lasted, though. Still a little sad about it...I thought he was the one, for a second there..._

_Who else...well, Lewbert is as weird as ever (even as an old guy he's just like he was 10 or so years ago!)._

_I got this offer to co-host an episode of _The Latest _since the guy who usually does it - Robbie - quit. If they like how I do it, I'll get asked back & I'll do it permantley! They were so impressed by _iCarly _they think I'll be great! Should I do it? _

_Yours Truly,_

_Carlotta :)_

_._

Carly chewed her bubblegum furiously, trying to make the biggest bubble possible. Sam had called her, said she needed a girl to talk too, so here she was half-listening to the married woman's rants.

"The doctor said some light exercise or some crap like that should make the baby come...but really, I hated exercise before I was pregnant, and I still hate it." Silence. "Well? Carly?" Sam said shrilly.

"Oh!" the brunette gasped, picking up the phone from the table. "Sorry, what did ya say?" Carly said cheerfully.

"I said - oh, forget it!" Sam shouted. Carly could imagine her hands balling into fists.

"...Carly?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Can you tell me why there's water around my feet?"

.

"She's in labor?"

"Dude, are you death? Get over there!"

BEEEP.

_II. _**Freddie**

All you can think about is _Sam. _Images of her screaming, ripping your hand off and saying, "This is all your fault!" run through your mind and it only makes you more determined to hurry over too your wife's side (yeah, I said it - wife).

"Hey, is that S-Puck's husband?" A paparazzo who suddenly jumps up from behind some bush shouts. All his fellow reporters looks at him, and before he can even blink they're all rushing toward him.

"Did Sam and you really get married three weeks ago?"

"Are you sure the baby's yours?" His mouth drops open and he gulps down tears. _You guys can always have a kid that's yours. _Without even noticing it, he had been so caught up in all..._this _that'd he forgotten the awful truth.

This...this baby would never be his. And it sucks.

But he can't worry about the little things now.

"It _isn't_ yours," the man whispers, a wide smile crossing his face. All you wanna do at that moment is punch the living daylights out of him, but instead you just roughly push past him and all his other "friends".

.

"Samantha Puckett. Where is she?" Freddie asks, out of breath, once he gets inside the hospital.

"Are you her husband?" The nurse questions, an eyebrow raised. The nurse - "Bonnie" - seems to be below five feet. Man, he thought Sam was short, but she's tall compared to her. Bonnie is smacking her gum and every second or so she'll flip her (fake) platinum blond hair; you can tell she's young and hasn't been at this for very long.

"Yeah, Fredward Benson." Freddie reaches into his pocket in case he needs to show his ID, but Bonnie just rolls her eyes and leads him to her room.

"She's in here. I was just going to get some help for her mother and sister - she's going crazy in there!" Bonnie gestures wildly and Freddie grabs her arms, stopping her.

"Please, can I go in?" Freddie says almost desperately, his dark brown eyes getting wide.

"Um, sure...?"

_III. _**a mother's moment**

Jennifer Puckett feels as if she's going to throw up. It feels like just yesterday Eric was telling her they couldn't be together, he had a future - she didn't (h e w a s s o r i g h t) but these kids - her babies - could.

And guess what? It wasn't some fairytale kind of thing, but she thinks they turned out okay - even the brat (Sam, of course). Melanie got into some fancy boarding school when she was 12, graduated a year early...there was that short period where she took a year off to "find herself" but she went _right back _too school! And now, everything's come the full circle and she graduated from college, wants to be an actress...yup. That's her Mel. Most parents will say, if a kid asks, "I don't have a favorite!"

...But she's sorry, but she _does _have a favorite daughter. And it's Melanie.

-She has a good reason for it, though! Sam...

She's just...

Too much like _her. _And it makes her wanna kill someone, rip her hair out...Melanie's nothing like her. So why can't Sam and her be _exactly alike _like most twins and none of them be like her, be in danger of ending up like her?

Sam's a greatgreat_great _singer. Just like her mother. Y'know, she never made it, got a record deal and all that good stuff - but she was great at singing. How does she know? She's pretty sure all those trophies locked deep away in her closet (w i t h m e m e n t o s o f t h e g o o d l i f e)...

She just hopes, with all her heart, that Freddie won't decide one day _I'm bored _and pick up & leave her with twins and, and...

Never mind. She's just ranting now. And with that, Jennifer Puckett-mother, girlfriend of many, slightly mental-takes another swig of her brandy while t h e g o o d o n e shouts, "Mom!" and t h e b a d o n e yells, "Gimme some!"

.

It's been almost 16 hours now of Sam in labor and each hour she demands drugs, liquor, _something _to get her through this but every time Freddie just mutters, "_Sam," _rubbing her tanned forehead, never stopping.

.

1 6 h o u r s & 3 0 m i n u t e s. . . . .

.

Finally, then, it happens. Now there'll be some little demon or nerdy toddler crawling around and saying, "Grandmama, Grandmama," whenever she goes over to Sam's house when she needs a man to get rid of her boyfriend faster than she ever could or when she needs food or when Melanie throws out all of her _awesome _painkillers and alcohol...

Oh my gosh. That baby's freaking gorgeous.

"Do you wanna hold her, Jennifer?" Sam asks, and _wow _she calls her _Jennifer _now? She wants to hold the precious thing her daughter made, wants to kiss it and _love it with all her heart _but what if she b r e a k s it? What if she t a i n t s it, the little...thing?

-So, no. She can't hold it. Can't ruin its _perfection._

"What do you mean ruin its perfection?" Melanie says, raising an eyebrow at her mother.

She said that mushy stuff out loud? (note to self - cut back on staying stuff.)

"Um, well you know...oh, just shut up!" Sam smiles. It's a small, _not-so-amazing _little thing but you're sure this is the first time since she was young that she's smiled at her so she'll take it!

"Can I have my pills yet, Melanie?" she says in a tired, far away voice and Freddie opens his mouth to say something but Sam lightly touches his arm, signaling him to stop (s h e ' s n e v e r g o n n a c h a n g e).

"You better be glad Sam just gave birth to a pretty little baby girl or else I wouldn't be giving you these _things _back! If anything, you should be taking your depression..."

Depression. That word kills her every time. She remembers when her shrink said it - "I think, the reason your so dependent on drugs, painkillers, everything is because you might be _depressed - _and she remembers, oh she remembers trying to get Sam too go live with her grandmother since it was obvious she couldn't take care of her - she was d e p r e s s e d.

But, she guesses, she had always been that way 'cause she realized that she hadn't seen Sam in weeks - where'd she go, anyway?

Then her eyes flicker over to a picture of Carly and Sam, smiling and looking _oh so happy _and you remember that million dollar word -

-_SHAY. S, h, a, y - sh-ay_

But, oh, that's the past and this is now and she has a beautiful little granddaughter named-

"What's her name?"

Sam and Freddie stare at her, puzzled, and she wonders where Melanie is but she can see her talking excitedly to someone she assumes is Carly.

"We just named her. Weren't you listening?" Freddie says slowly, carefully while she throws her pills down her throat and makes it go down with her almost empty-wait, no, it's empty now. It was good while it lasted-bottle of liquor.

"Are you listening _now?" _Sam says, and she snaps out of her grieving for Mr. Teddy Bear.

"Uh, yeah." She nods, blowing a piece of fallen blonde hair out of her face.

"We named her..." A pause. "Esperanza Jennifer Benson. Esperanza - it's Spanish."

"What does it mean?" She slurs, a goofy grin making its way onto her face.

"It means _hope._"

.

( h o p e )

That's what she had.

Now she doesn't. She hopes, this little bundle of joy can make her have it again...

.

_I'm walking on sunshine, and I wanna feel good!_

.

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! It's the last one, sadly. BUT (there's always a but!), we still have an epilogue coming up and a maybe sequel in the near future!**

**What, exactly, could this sequel be about? There a could be a little drama with Sam's music career & stuff, always keeping her away for long periods of time and it could be all about Esperanza's life with a mom barely there, learning Freddie's not her dad (go back, read if you don't remember)...y'know, stuff. Tell me what you would think about that in your reviews...kthxbai!**

**Luv,**

**~omggcece**


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Esperanza, get down here!" you roll your eyes, getting up from your desk.

"Dude, what did you do?" Yumi, your best friend, asks. She raises an eyebrow, flipping her perfect black hair over her shoulder.

"I don't know!" Your voice gets high and you don't meet her eyes. _God, _you never were a good liar. You know it's from your dad. You've seen your mom in action with Auntie Melanie whenever she asked whether or not she had given Grandma a drink.

"I-" Yumi starts, but your dad interrupts-_"Esperanza Jennifer BENSON!"- _and this time you know he's mean serious business. You wave to Yumi before turning off your telephone and heading downstairs to your awaiting doom.

"What is _this?" _Daddy asks, and he shoves the July issue of _Hollywood _in your face. You open your mouth, ready to ask what this has to do with you, but then you see what's on the cover- a pic of Auntie Carly and you at the premiere of her new movie.

You grit your teeth. "Auntie Carly invited me to come. So I did."

"You know your Mom and me grounded you," he whispers and somehow it's worse than his shouting.

"Whatever. Where's Mom, anyway?" You try to change the subject, making your puppy-dog face - 'cause _yeah, _you've got your father played like that. Your Mom? Not so much. But you're hoping you can get hold of that stupid magazine and burn it in the fireplace or something.

"I-she-me-" His shoulders sag. "She's at her 10 year anniversary party of when she first went solo."

"Coolio!" You say happily and your dad stares at you with tired, _tired _eyes, lazily reaching up to tug one of your jet black pigtails. You've always wondered where you got this hair from - your mom's a blonde, your dad's a brunette, and your little brother is one of those blondes whose hair will probably darken into a light brown color...so how exactly, do you have this hair?

So, you decide to ask your father right out. "So how exactly, do I have this hair?"

His jaw drops and his tongue sticks straight out and it reminds you of Uncle Spencer, kinda. "Err, I don't...know?"

"What do ya mean, I don't know?" You say. Curious and curiouser...

"Can we please not talk about this? I'll-your mother will tell you when you're older," he says in a pained tone, putting a soft hand on your cheek.

You lean into the touch but suddenly you feel like you've gotta push farther. "Why is my skin like, orange and you and Mom's is white?"

Silence.

"Do you want some ice cream?" he says, and you raise a eyebrow but decide you've tortured your father enough and nod excitedly.

One day you'll find out the answer to your questions...one day.

.

Once Mom gets back from her party, it's about dinner time and she suggests we go out too Auntie Melanie's restaurant to eat.

"Didn't you eat at the party?" Dad asks, looking a little miffed.

"I'm still hungry!" Mom barks, and Dad steps back while you and Sara laugh at your parents.

But Sara doesn't notice when Mom's hand drops to her stomach and Dad follows it, a bright smile making its way onto his face. So, yeah, you did manage to get the magazine and burn it, growling at the headline - "S-Puck Let's 10 Year Old Daughter Go Wild!". If you hadn't, you know Mom would be going crazy.

.

You all barely make it too Mel's Diner, Sara holding on to your hand with a death grip as you cross the street. Mom and Dad are arguing about...something as you guys get inside.

"We'll have the usual," you say in your usual bored tone and Melanie just giggles, shaking her head.

"They really do leave each other, girls...they just can't help but fight." You can hear a loud sound that comes from Sara's stomach and Mom stares at her with wide eyes.

"You need some food, stat!" Mom says in a playful tone, scooping her up in her arms.

"We'll have-" Dad starts, but Melanie stops him. "Bunny here already ordered!"

You scrunch your nose up at the nickname you had acquired when you were younger for your habit to say, "I'm a bunny!" and jump around like...well, a bunny.

The four of you guys walk over to your unofficial table and you smile at the familiar faces. Auntie Sasha and Uncle Spencer are battling each other on some video game while your favorite - and _only _cousin - Danielle is doodling in her notepad she always seems to be carrying around.

Aunt Carly is trying to talk too someone on the phone (you guess it's work-related) but your other aunt, Melanie is trying to get her off the phone. You've always suspected there's something _romantic _going on between them but you really wanna just avoid the awkwardness.

You tap Danielle on the shoulder and she looks up at you, startled. "Oh! Hey, 'Ranza. Come on," she says, leading you over to a booth close to the adults' table. As usual, Sara follows.

You're a grade ahead of Danielle but you're only a couple months apart - Sara, the youngest, is five - and a _half, _as she likes to remind you.

Danielle is explaining one of her pictures to Sara as your eyes wander over too your parents. They've seem to stopped arguring, and now she's laying her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist and you hope one day you can reach this level of happiness...

Your Grandma hurries over to your booth, carrying our food and sets it down to their respective eaters. You think she really likes this job - ever since Melanie opened up the diner and offered her a job two years ago, you never see her "medicine" or drinks and the smiles - they actually reach her eyes and her eyes seem to be like the color of the sky - a beautiful baby blue, not that dull grey the sky is when it _rains. _You're positive she's given up on love, 'cause you haven't met any boyfriends in a _long, long _time and it makes you sad - how come you're parents, Sasha and Spencer, Melanie and Carly can find they're soul mates but Grandma can't?

...Hey, you're kinda deep! Anyways, it just seems sad Grandma doesn't have a soulmate, someone she's destined to be with...

-You hope you have one.

.

**A/N: I hope you liked the epilogue! In case some things weren't clear-**

***This epilogue takes place 10 years later, which makes the gang about 33 or so.**

***Melanie didn't achieve her dream of becoming an actress, sadly, but hey she's got Mel's Diner and her Mom's finally not wacko!**

***Yeah, Carly and Melanie are in looove!**

***I mentioned in the previous chapter that Carly got an offer to host The Latest, broke up with Gibby.**

***I also mentioned in a previous chapter that Sasha was pregnant & married to Spence.**

***ALSO mentioned Sam and her family lived in New York and the gang from Seattle still visited a lot! Let's just say Spencer and Gibby are the only ones left in Seattle, though, 'cause of Carls and Mel's secret relationship that made Carly move to be with her bay-bay!**

**I think everybody should remember me saying that Esperanza's not Freddie's-I still don't know if I should do that sequel about Esperanza...tell me what you think in your reviews!**

**Oh, and before I forget- Thanks to all the wonderful people who have LOVED this story from the very beginning, even the ones who have never reviewed! I'm just grateful that you guys even take the time to read this little story when there's so many other great stuff you could be doing!:)**

**-omggcece (yes, this awfully long Author's Note is done!)**


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